Dekalb County Sheriff's Office / EPA
A jail booking photo of school shooting suspect Michael Brandon Hill, 20, in Decatur, Georgia, on Tuesday. Hill is accused of entering the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy elementary school, armed with an assault style rifle.
Michael Brandon Hill, who according to officials entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Ga., with an AK-47 assault-style rifle and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, does not have a biological mother after his own died.
In December, Hill "threatened to shoot" his brother, Timothy Hill, Timothy said.
The threat was on Dec. 30 or Dec. 31, just two weeks after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., which left 26 people dead, 20 of whom were children.
A grand jury charged Hill in March with making terroristic threats for the incident, to which he pleaded guilty. He received three years of probation and was ordered to be evaluated and treated for anger management. In addition, Timothy Hill said his brother was issued a no-contact order, and said the two have not talked recently.
Hill is "someone who slipped through the cracks," Timothy said, describing his brother as someone who started "having problems" at age 13.
"He had his good times, and then he had his bad times," Timothy said. "He was bipolar and suffered from ADD [attention deficit disorder]."
Knotts also said that Hill's issues included being “diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, and other mental issues.”
Hill is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, making terroristic threats and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for Tuesday's shooting. He was questioned for hours by police, but police have no clear idea of what may be a motive or whether Hill has ties to the school.Authorities said Wednesday that Hill did not own the AK-47-like weapon that was used in the shooting, and that they believed it was taken from the house of an acquaintance of his. Authorities believe that the gun was originally purchased from a licensed dealer and said they were working to locate the gun’s owner, but did not specify whether the weapon was stolen.
And the reason this guy was not already in prison or a hospital is what, exactly?
ReplyDeleteBecause, as you've told me many times, you can't lock people up for what they haven't yet done.
DeleteDid you read the report? He has done plenty.
Delete"Authorities said Wednesday that Hill did not own the AK-47-like weapon that was used in the shooting, and that they believed it was taken from the house of an acquaintance of his. Authorities believe that the gun was originally purchased from a licensed dealer and said they were working to locate the gun’s owner, but did not specify whether the weapon was stolen."
ReplyDeleteTaken implies there wasn't permission. A better word might be stolen. Possibly because since he was under a protective order he would be a prohibited person and not able to purchase a firearm.
The guilty plea and three years probation means he's a felon, and thus a prohibited person.
DeleteNot necessarily stolen. Perhaps the owner allowed this kid and his own son to have access to his guns.
DeleteHow much you wanna bet the gun owner is not held accountable?
The purpose of that bet is kinda skewed when you figure that the gun may have been stolen from him. You, of course, would still want to punish him, but most people don't want to punish theft victims.
DeletePoor, persecuted victims of gun theft who had kept the gun under a pillow or in the front hall closet should be punished.
DeleteBecause we should all have to store our property--all of it--in a bank vault when not in actual use?
DeleteNot all property, but the guns, yes.
DeleteOh, but knives, vehicles, gasoline, paint thinner, lawn mowers, wood chippers, and other such items can be left out on the lawn? You're obsessed with guns--do you know that?
DeleteNot taking the idiot's side in this, but why is he being called "the shooter"? It is my understanding that no shots were fired. "Would-be shooter" is more intellectually honest.
ReplyDeleteAnd I want to echo Greg's question: if he was clearly dangerous, why was he walking around free?
Moonshine
First of all it was not intellectually dishonest. It was just a mistake. Everything is not a conspiracy to make you guys look worse than you already are.
DeleteSecondly, the idea that people should be locked up if they're potentially dangerous goes against everything you guys say about due process and not punishing people for what they haven't done yet. In other words it's just fucking stupid.
No, Mikeb, there are provisions in the law for people who are dangerously mentally ill. But what we see here is that the legal system doesn't take threats seriously enough.
DeleteHow about you stop lying? We've discussed all of this before.
If it was a mistake, you'd have corrected the headline of your post. I'm not expecting NBC to do any such thing, but you should. Just sayin'.
DeleteMoonshine
Done. I meant to do it yesterday.
Delete"Hill has had difficulties with his family. Tuesday's incident, in which authorities say Hill shot about six rounds at law enforcement who raced to the Atlanta-area school before he surrendered peacefully when they returned fire, wasn't his first alleged encounter with Georgia police officers."
DeleteMike, you were correct the first time. He shot at responding law enforcement.